


I HATE THAT

by OccasionalStorytelling



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Vomiting Blood, connor hates things, connor is a little traumatized, freaking out, gonna get a little violent and gory, maybe a panic attack idk lets see how it goes, nothing too bad but like
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 13:52:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15511278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OccasionalStorytelling/pseuds/OccasionalStorytelling
Summary: Connor likes dogs. Connor discovers some of the things that he doesn't like. He really, really doesn't like some things.





	I HATE THAT

Winter arrived in Detroit. Hank sat on the couch with his coffee, watching Connor. Connor sat at the kitchen table, chair faced toward the window, with all of his attention focused on the snow outside. Hank could almost hear his software buzzing, trying to analyze the situation.

 

“Sumo, come!” Hank said. Sumo sat at Connor’s feet, gently nuzzling the android’s hand for pats, and Connor barely noticed. Hank sighed and sipped his coffee, looking away. Maybe there was something good on TV. He didn’t have enough energy to deal with “deviant android discovers snow for the first time” right now. He picked up the remote.

 

There was nothing good on. Just more news reports about androids trying to fit into society after the revolution. Nothing Hank wasn’t experiencing every day, now that he and Connor were living together. That is, Connor was living with Hank. This was Hank’s house, after all, and—Hank looked up. Sumo was whining, begging Connor for attention. Connor was still staring at the snow, absolutely rapt with fascination. Hank saw the little LED on Connor’s temple circling yellow, over and over again. Hank stood, sipped his coffee once more, and put the cup down. He headed into the kitchen.

 

“Connor,” Hank said. No response. “Hey, Connor,” Hank said, a little louder. Connor just stared at the snow. Hank waved his hand in front of Connor’s face. Finally, the android moved. He looked startled.

 

“I’m okay,” Connor said, LED flashing red. He had the same blank look on his face that he’d had when he was connected to the android that shot itself on Stratford Tower. 

 

_“I felt it die,” Connor said. “Like I was dying.” Everyone had turned and stared. One soldier even raised a gun on Connor. “I was scared,” Connor said, looking up at Hank. Hank froze. Connor’s face…it was an expression he hoped he’d never see again._

 

“Aw, no you’re not,” Hank said, kneeling down next to the chair. Sumo put his head on Connor’s lap, and the android began petting him. “What’s wrong?”

 

“I…” Connor wasn’t sure how to answer.

 

△ …path locked…

☐ SNOW

⃝ COLD

✕ **[SENSORS]**

 

“My internal sensors have detected a fluctuation in my temperature,” Connor said, trying to smile for Hank. _Look, Hank. I’m all right. Go away now._ Connor pushed that last thought away. He wanted Hank here, he was just still getting used to all these…emotions that deviancy was producing in him. _Go away,_ the software insisted. Connor shoved it away.

 

“We’ve got to get you warmed up,” Hank said, standing and turning away.

 

“Hank, wait!” Connor said, standing a little too quickly. _DON’T LET HIM LEAVE,_ the software practically screamed. _Make up your mind, you stupid program,_ Connor thought.

 

“I’m just getting you a blanket,” Hank pointed to the couch, where a soft blue blanket rested. Hank turned to get it. Connor followed him. Hank turned back around and saw Connor standing right in front of him, a little closer than he was comfortable with. “Woah, Connor,” Hank chuckled, taking a step away. Connor moved to step forward, then seemed to realize that Hank needed personal space and stayed where he was, uncertain. Hank sighed, and stepped around Connor, putting the blanket over his shoulders. Connor gratefully accepted the blanket and held it around himself. He still stood there, not sure what he was doing. Hank gently moved Connor to a sitting position on the couch. He found a book, and curled up across from the android.

 

Connor blinked. He could still see a window from where he was sitting, if he craned his neck. The snow reminded him of something. He couldn’t remember what it was, and he couldn’t identify the emotion connected to it. Options appeared in his vision. _Keep looking at the window,_ off to his left, and _Try to cuddle Hank_ to the right. 

 

Connor absolutely loved cuddling, of that he was certain. Be it Hank, Sumo, or even one of the roombas he’d “rescued” from other homes, Connor loved cuddling. For some reason he couldn’t identify, however, he chose to look at the window. He had to turn his neck at an angle that his biocomponents did not support. He leaned backwards onto a side table, which immediately collapsed under his weight.

 

“Connor! For god’s sake!” Hank yelped, dropping his book. _NEW OBJECTIVE: GO OUTSIDE,_ the software announced.

 

“Hank I want to go outside,” Connor said, and it came out rushed. 

 

Hank looked his partner up and down. Connor was an adorable pile of broken table, blanket, and awkward android limbs. The guy was a puppy, for god’s sake. There was something else—Connor’s LED was flashing red. Connor looked normal, that is, the way he usually looked, but the LED was usually blue if there was nothing wrong.

 

“All right, let’s go outside,” Hank said, standing up. Connor awkwardly clambered to his feet too, and followed Hank to the door. “Do you want to walk Sumo?” Hank asked, shrugging on a heavy coat. Connor blinked. “All right then,” Hank smiled, opening the door. “Let’s go,” He gestured, holding it for Connor.

 

Connor gently stepped out of the house, one foot carefully after another, like he wasn’t sure the ground would support his weight. Hank had to smile. The android was so cute! A snowflake fell on Connor’s head, and the kid practically jumped out of his synthetic skin. The LED was flashing yellow, analyzing at a million miles an hour. Hank put his hands in his pockets and breathed out, watching the fog form in front of his face.

 

Connor had no idea what was wrong. He’d run three self diagnostics in the past two minutes, and everything was working perfectly. For some reason, his vision had gone red and alarm sirens were blaring in his ears. He couldn’t find an objective either, so he was even more lost. He barely noticed his internal temperature level dropping out of acceptable regions. What was wrong with him? He had to find out.

 

Hank noticed that Connor wasn’t producing the little fog breaths. He also noticed that Connor was shivering, with his arms hugging himself tightly. Hank didn’t know that Connor _could_ shiver. 

 

“Are you feeling all right, Connor?” Hank asked.

 

△ **[LIE]**

☐ NO

⃝ DEFENSIVE

✕ DEVIANCY

 

“Yes,” Connor said, visibly shaking. The LED began blinking red at intervals, and Hank didn’t like that at all.

 

“Maybe we should go inside,” Hank suggested.

 

“No!” Connor blurted. “I can’t! I—“ Connor collapsed to his knees, his arms falling to his sides limply. His eyes were open and listless. It was like he’d been shot.

 

“SHIT!” Hank yelled, running over. Hank dragged his inert partner back into the house and locked the door. He draped a blanket over Connor and moved him to the couch. He didn’t know what to do. He dug through old business cards looking for the Cyberlife contact info. He had to get through to a mechanic. Right as he dialed the phone, he heard motion on the couch. He ran back to the living room. Connor had shifted into fetal position, and closed his eyes tightly. Hank hung up the phone and sat beside Connor. He put his hand on Connor’s back.

 

“What happened?” Hank asked.

 

“M-m-m-my internal t-t-t-temperature d-d-dropped below acceptable l-l-l-levels,” Connor chattered, not opening his eyes.

 

“Shit,” Hank sighed, hitting himself in the head with a closed fist. “I should have… Connor, I didn’t even grab you a jacket, I thought you’d be find out there. I’m so sorry.”

 

Connor opened his eyes and shifted slightly, to be closer to Hank. Connor wouldn’t look at him. Hank did his best to hug Connor in that awkward position.

 

“What’s wrong?” Hank asked, gently and sincerely.

 

“I…” Connor wasn’t sure how to answer.

 

△ …path unlocked: **[AMANDA]**

☐ SNOW

⃝ COLD

✕ SENSORS

 

“When I…became deviant,” Connor said, slowly, “I…saw Amanda one last time.” Hank clenched a fist out of Connor’s sight. All Hank knew about Amanda (because Connor talked about her so infrequently) was that she had messed up Connor’s programming somehow, gotten into his head. Connor would insist that she had always been nice to him, but Hank could tell, based on some of Connor’s reactions to things, that Amanda had been anything but “nice.”

 

“She told me that she was very disappointed in me,” Connor said, not looking at Hank, “and that Cyberlife was going to resume control of my program now that I’d gotten close to the deviants.” Hank couldn’t tell based from the calm, emotionless tone of Connor’s voice what the android was thinking.

 

“Whenever I talked to Amanda, we were in a garden, and the season was different at different stages of my mission,” Connor said, choking on the words as they came out. Hank noticed that Connor was starting to cry. “When she…it was winter…”

 

Hank held Connor tighter. Connor crunched his legs up, trying to scrunch into a tiny ball.

 

“I’m so sorry,” Hank said. “I didn’t realize that…”

 

“That what, Hank?” Connor sighed. “That this is my first winter? I haven’t been active for very long, only a few months…”

 

Hank hadn’t realized that.

 

“I hate snow,” Connor said, in the same matter-of-fact tone that he’d used when he’d announced he liked dogs. “I hate being…cold.” Hank held his partner’s hand and vowed to buy more sweaters the very next time he left the house. Connor closed his eyes for a moment. The LED flashed blue. “Where’s Sumo? Can I pet him?” Connor asked.

 

“Hey, Sumo!” Hank yelled. The dog lumbered over, hopped onto the couch, and laid on top of Connor. The android smiled at the weight. They sat there for a very long time as Connor’s temperature settings returned to normal.


End file.
